Washington Gardener Magazine is the publication for MD, DC & VA area gardeners.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Match Game

The Rockville Green Expo went well last Saturday. My seed matching game was a big hit. Maybe even too popular as people were still playing it as the other vendors packed up around us. One thing I discovered about it was that it works across cultures and languages -- had Asian and Hispanic families joining together to play it. Equally hard for all. Matching the flower seeds (Cleome, Cosmos, and Hollyhock) to their photos is a real stumper even for veteran gardeners. I threw in a few easy ones too (acorns and pumpkin seeds), though you'd be surprised by how many people have NO idea that an oak comes from an acorn!

The weather has been so spectacular this past week -- don't recall it ever being so gorgeous and perfect - blue skies, fluffy clouds, no humidity and highs in the low 80s. Usually on the 4th of July, I'm watching the local parades and fireworks in a pool of sweat. I hope the tourists know just how very lucky they are to visit this week! Only thing we are lacking is a decent rain. My garden is really parched and my incidental watering is just not making a dent in our lack of accumulated inches this year.

I took this photo of Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan') somewhere on the USBG grounds last week. If you asked me which garden flowers I like the best, Echinacea in any its forms would not even make my top 25. However, I find myself taking lots of photos of it wherever I go and giving it more ground in my planting beds every year. So somewhere inside I must be developing a deep affection for this hardy perennial.